


A Case of Mistaken Identity

by PlagueDoctor31



Category: Evil Dead - All Media Types, From Beyond (1986), Re-Animator (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-21 06:49:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16571702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlagueDoctor31/pseuds/PlagueDoctor31
Summary: Herbert forgets his glasses at home, and Ash encounters an eerily familiar face while trying to return them.





	A Case of Mistaken Identity

**Author's Note:**

> This is a piece I've been chipping away since the summer, so I'm so happy it's finished! I hope you all had as much fun reading it as I did writing it!

Ash awoke in a suspiciously empty bed. His eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the morning light in the bedroom. Only half of his body was covered by the sheets caused by his tossing and turning. But that was odd. Ash hasn't tossed and turned in bed for a couple weeks now, not when he started to...

Ash opened his eyes fully when he realized why the bed felt this way. He was all alone in bed. He smoothed his hand over the empty space to his left, trying to feel any lingering warmth of the person that laid there, but the mattress was cool from the morning air. Ash thought of last night, remembering how he was practically shivering as the day wound to a close. He remembered how happy he was to get under the covers and snuggle up into the arms of Herbert West.

Speaking of West, Ash pushed himself up into the sitting position, rubbing his eyes and glancing around the room for his scientist friend. He wasn't at all surprised to find that he was all alone in the plainly decorated bedroom. One of these days, he'll definitely add some cool posters or something, but Ash had a sneaking suspicion that Herbert would shoot down anything suggested. Letting out a yawn, Ash swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up to face the day ahead.

The house was suspiciously quiet as Ash pulled on his shirt and squirmed into a pair of pants, a task made a tad more difficult by the fact that he did not put on his prosthetic right hand before doing all this. Fortunately, Ash was used to getting the shirt and pants on by now. Unfortunately, he still never got the hang of doing buttons one-handed, so he went over to the nightstand to pick up his hand. As he reached for it, he looked down and spotted a post-it note stuck to the back of his prosthetic appendage. Furrowing his brow in confusion, Ash lifted the hand up and read the neatly printed message.

_Called in for work. Will return later. Throw out the garbage in the lab while I'm gone._

_\- West_

"Well, that certainly solves the mystery of where Herby went," Ash mumbled to himself as he shoved the note into his pocket and placed his prosthetic hand on his stump, giving it a twist to secure it properly and flexing his metal fingers to make sure they were in working order. He began buttoning up his shirt as he left the room to get some coffee and grub.

 

By now, Ash was used to the sights within Herbert's lab, but the dank smell might have to take longer. Ash wrinkled his nose as he descended down the stairs labeled "Embalming Room", and he unlocked the door to the lab to step inside. He glanced around at all the tables and cabinets that dotted the room. A few Styrofoam boxes sat on top of one of the main tables, and Ash didn't have to open them to know what was in there. A chemistry set sat nearby, surrounded by beakers and bottles. A large beaker sat underneath the set, the glowing reagent slowly dripping into it. Ash stepped over, a small wave of nostalgia hitting him as he recalled his old chemistry classes back in college. He was called a dumbass on occasion, but even Herbert recognized Ash's was pretty decent at chemistry. Ash turned the small knob on the set to stop the flow and picked up the beaker, quickly admiring its contents before walking over to the back corner of the lab.

"At least he was nice enough to keep this place somewhat clean today," Ash observed out loud as he approached a chemical drum. As he unscrewed the cap on the top, more of the bright green glow emerged from with the barrel. Apparently, from what Herbert told him, one of these was overturned during an experiment a while back, the reagent going everywhere. Ash could only imagine what kind of mess that made, any discarded bits and pieces of corpses wriggling to life as they were soaked from the stuff. Maybe that's why Herbert's keeping this place in an immaculate condition. Ash wholeheartedly agreed as he poured the reagent from the beaker into the drum.

A glint caught his attention from the corner of Ash's eye. Ash turned to check, and resting on top of a sealed body bag was a pair of glasses, the light from the bulbs above making them glint again. Furrowing his brow in confusion, Ash set the beaker down and approached the table the bag was placed on. The glasses seemed pretty old with large, rectangular lenses. Ash raised them up to look though, and the blurriness made his head hurt a little bit. Come to think of it, these glasses looked pretty familiar to Ash. He closed his eyes to try to remember he's seen these glasses before...

 

_"Come on, Herby," Ash moved closer to the scientist "Go to bed. You can finish fiddling with your cadaver tomorrow."_

_Herbert frowned and turned around to stare pointedly up at Ash, "It needs to be prepared before everything else, Ashley."_

_"You don't need to prepare it, it's already dead," Ash couldn't help but smile, backing Herbert until he was against the table. He leaned closer to the smaller scientist, placing his hand on the table to steady himself._

_"Come on," Ash grinned, waggling his eyebrows "The night is cold, but it's warm under the blankets."_

_Herbert scoffed as a light blush blossomed on his cheeks, "Oh please, I know what you're trying to do."_

_"Is it working?"_

_Herbert rolled his eyes and tried to turn back, but Ash quickly reached out and pulled off Herbert's glasses. The look of shock on Herbert's face made Ash let out a bark of laughter, and Herbert narrowed his eyes as he glared up at him. Actually, Ash had to admit that Herbert looked pretty cute without them._

_"What? Can you still see me?" Ash asked as his laughter died down._

_"Mostly," Herbert huffed._

_"Then you must be near-sighted, right?" Ash concluded, remembering an old co-worker at S-Mart who was the same._

_Herbert nodded, looking a bit more relaxed where he stood. Ash took the opportunity to little more forward, so that his face was closer, placing Herbert's glasses down on the table._

_"How's this?" Ash asked with a small grin._

_"Better?" Herbert raised an eyebrow, not picking up his glasses and being as still as a statue._

_He leaned a little closer, "How about now?"_

_Herbert narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "Yes..."_

_Ash leaned even closer, quickly sneaking a little kiss on Herbert's lips and pulling away to stand up straight. A smile grew on Ash's face, and he began laughing again. Herbert rolled his eyes a little bit, but smiled as well._

_"Alright, Ash, I'll give you that one," Herbert nodded, stepping around Ash to move towards the doors._

_"Wait, where are you going?" Ash looked at him confused._

_"To bed," Herbert stopped to look back at him "But you better not make me late for work in the morning."_

_Ash's smile grew wider, and he quickly followed the scientist, leaving the glasses behind by the cadaver._

 

"SHIT!" Ash exclaimed out loud "Don't tell me that I made him forget his glasses."

He ran out of the lab with Herbert's glasses in hand. He fumbled for his car keys as the practically flew out of the house, slamming the door behind him and made a mad dash for his car. He was about halfway there when he skidded to a halt. He forgot to lock the door. After doubling back and locking the front door, Ash finally made it to his vehicle of choice, jumping in and placing the glasses on the dashboard.

"He's going to kill me for sure," Ash mumbled as he started up the car "He's going to kill me, bring me back, and then kill me a second time."

He sped out of the driveway, going as close to the speed limit as he’s able on the main road to Miskatonic General Hospital. He didn't bother turning on the radio for some tunes, his mind still racing with how West will react to all this. Knowing West, he'll probably be quite irritated at the notion that he forgot his glasses at home. But, the optimistic voice in Ash's mind spoke up: "Maybe he'll be thankful."

Ash paused to consider it. He's never seen Herbert thankful before. He's seen him in various ups and downs, but thankful was certainly wasn't one of those times. A little grin spread on his face as he considered the possibility of Herbert giving him a Thank You Kiss.

A honk of a car horn brought Ash back to reality, and he nearly missed the turn that took him the rest of the way to the hospital. He gripped the wheel tighter and spun it, making a sharp turn into it.

 

Ash tried to slow himself down after he got out of the car, but he still found himself walking at a brisk pace as he pushed open the front doors to the reception area. The AC was on full blast in there, giving Ash a little whiplash from going from a hot summer-y outside to a cold, almost winter-y, inside. He almost wish that he brought a jacket as he approached the front desk.

"Hello," the woman sitting behind the desk greeted, adjusting her glasses "Do you have an appointment?"

Ash quickly shook his head, "No, I'm just hear to drop something off for a... friend."

The woman didn't seem to notice the pause as she nodded and turned towards her computer, "Their name?"

"West. Dr. Herbert West."

The woman did a bit of a double-take, looking at Ash with a confused expression, "Dr. West? Small man, dark hair, and a sour expression?"

"That's him."

"I've never heard of him having friends before, except Dr. Cain of course," She turned back towards the computer "But it seems like they've had a falling out a little while back."

Ash nodded. Dr. Cain… That name sounded familiar. Maybe Herbert works with him from time to time in the hospital? And from the sounds of it, Herbert must’ve done something to get on this guy’s bad side, which Ash did not find surprising in the slightest. Ash could vaguely remember Herbert name-dropping a “Cain” a while back, but that wasn’t really helpful for his current mission.

"Well, what do I know?" The woman continued on, typing something into the computer "He could be a completely different person outside of work, and I would never realize it."

Ash wouldn't know either, since this was the first time he's seen Herbert at work. He shifted where he stood, not knowing how to continue the conversation. The woman didn't seem to mind as she scrolled through some information on her screen.

"Dr. West is..." Her eyes scanned over the text "Currently with a patient at the moment. Do you have a moment to wait around?"

"Of course. He forgot something, and I'm sure he'd probably be lost without it," Ash nodded. The woman looked up at Ash with a polite smile, giving him a once over. He could clearly see her eyes pause at his metal hand and Herbert's glasses that he let hang from his breast pocket. She nodded in return and picked up a post-it note and a pen.

"Here's where he's in right now," she explained while writing something down "Thankfully nothing dangerous or infectious you need to worry about in there. But just to let you know, it's close to the Sefton Ward, so if you do find yourself in there on the way, just... Make sure to be quiet."

The woman concluded her statement by passing the note to Ash, and he accepted it with a "thank you". As he stepped away from the desk, he looked down at the neatly written note: _3rd Floor, Rm 301_. It all seemed easy to Ash as he made his way over to the elevator and pressed the button labeled "3".

 

The elevator doors opened to reveal a surprisingly not-so-busy hallway. A few small families walked down the hallway, one of them turning to enter one of the rooms. Ash walked down, peaking into the various rooms and seeing men and woman, mostly elderly, laying in bed and talking to a doctor or their visiting family. He shifted his attention the the room numbers, looking for his goal of 301 as his boots thumped against the tile floor as he walked.

309... 307... 305...

Ash knew he was almost there, and he quickened his pace. He passed one more door before spotting the sign "301" for the room on his left. He slowed to a stop, noting the door was closed and peaking in.

The lights in the room were dim and there were seemingly no one inside. Ash could make out something in the bed, but it just looked like a sleeping patient to him. Ash moved his head to get a better view of the room from different angles, but still he saw a distinct lack of doctors. Ash furrowed his brow. Did he somehow miss Herbert on his way up here? It was possible. Ash stepped back to look around the room, spotting a few chairs for visitors to sit in. Maybe... Maybe he just needed to step out for something. If Ash waited here, he could catch Herbert when he came back. With a satisfied nod, Ash turned and moved to sit in a heavy chair, surprised by how comfortable it was.

Minutes ticked away as Ash waited, worry brewing his his chest as he fiddled with the arms of his chair. What if Herbert was taking so long because he can barely see what's in front of him. Would he even ask for help at that point? With someone as proud as Herbert, Ash doubted that he would. He could imagine Herbert shuffling around a room, stubbing his toe on something or grabbing the wrong medicines or supplies. Any other time, Ash would've laughed, but here in a hospital setting he can't help but grow serious. Ash slouched in his seat, believing that the longer Herbert is without his glasses the more irritated he'll become, and who knows what would've happened is Herbert came back to the house after a full day of no glasses. All the more better that Ash is here. But now, Herbert needed to quicken his pace and come back to the room.

Some movement caught Ash's eye, causing him to pull away from his thoughts and look up. A man had just walked past him. He was dressed in dark pants and a sweater pulled over his dress shirt, which was entirely understandable considering how the high the AC was turned up to in the hospital. The man was walking quickly, and Ash could only catch a glimpse of the back of his head and his short dark brown hair. In fact... That hair seemed awfully familiar. Actually, the whole man seemed awfully familiar, from the small stature to the quick focused steps. Relief bloomed inside Ash as he quickly got up, moving to follow what had to be Herbert West.

West was surprisingly faster that Ash remembered, but he didn't think too much of it given how much focus a hospital doctor needs to have. From the looks of it, West was making a beeline for the pair of double doors up ahead, and Ash paused his pursuit to glance up and read it: "Sefton Ward". Ash gulped and heard the doors open and shut. West had gone into the ward and entered into the first door on the right. Ash saw the profile of his face, and Ash knew it definitely had to be him. He couldn't mistake that nose and those lips. And from the looks of it, he was still missing his glasses. With renewed determination, Ash continued forward. He quietly opened the door to the ward and stepped inside.

The moment Ash stepped inside and looked through the large glass window on his left, he knew that he had entered some kind of mental ward. Two people were shuffling around in the large room, both wearing some hospital-sanctioned pajamas and looking very worse for wear. Ash couldn't but his finger on it, but something seemed off about them. However, that didn't matter to Ash as he had more pressing matters to attend with. He looked over at the doorway on his right and stepped in.

Like the rest of the ward, the room was quiet, sparsely decorated save for a couple of book shelves and cabinets. The place looked to be a kind of break room or quiet room, which seemed to be what West was doing right now. He sat at the table with his back to Ash, flipping through a book he had brought in with him. Ash smiled at the man's studiousness. However, now was not the time to stay quiet and watch. Ash had some glasses to return.

"Reading away?" Ash grinned as he sauntered over to the unsuspecting man "I've got something to help you with that," He reached out and did something he always did with Herbert: he ruffled the man's hair.

The noise that came out of the man's mouth was unlike anything Ash has ever heard from Herbert before. He let out a startled yelp, bolting out of his chair and whipping around to look at Ash with wide eyes. Ash instinctively pulled his hands away and held them up defensively, but the man looked to have no interest in lashing out. Now that the two were closer, and Ash could get a good look at him, realization slowly dawned.

Ash has looked at Herbert's face enough times to recognize it, with and without glasses. While the hair style was eerily similar, the subtle differences in the face clued Ash in that this was not Herbert West. The man's face was slightly rounder compared to Herbert's sharper features. The man's expression, though wracked with shock and confusion, seemed much softer and not as soul-piercing, especially in the eyes. Speaking of eyes, this man's eye color was definitely different, a darker brown instead of hazel.

"What the hell was that for!?" the man demanded with a frown.

"Oh God," Ash shook his head quickly "I thought you were someone else. The two of you just look so similar from the back, you know?"

"Oh well," the man faltered, surprised by the unexpected explanation "I'm... not him, then."

"Obviously," Ash nodded.

"Obviously."

An awkward silence fell between the two, Ash scratching his arm idly while the man fiddled with the hem of his sweater. The man quickly stepped forward suddenly, however, and sat back down in his seat.

"You can sit down if you want," The man offered "Unless you're looking for someone."

"Well..." Ash paused, mulling it over and considering his options. He could give Herbert his glasses back as soon as possible, but he might interrupt something and make Herbert even more mad. On the other hand, he seemed to be doing well so far without his glasses, so maybe Ash will try to seek him out at around lunchtime when Herbert will no doubt have a break. Figuring the latter option was the better bet, Ash nodded and sit in the chair opposite of the man.

"Crawford Tillinghast," the man offered his hand to Ash.

"Ash," Ash answered back as he shook the man's hand, which were surprisingly soft "Again, sorry about the hair thing. I totally thought you were someone else."

"It's alright," Crawford gave a little reassuring smile "I must have one those faces."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because you weren't the first to make the same mistake today," Crawford chuckled at the amusement of it all "That's why I was surprised when you said that."

Ash nodded in surprise. Did another person mistake Crawford for Herbert? It was possible, since Herbert worked here at the hospital and a lot of people probably know him from that. Then again, Crawford was dressed very differently than the doctor. Speaking of...

"So what brings you to the hospital?" Ash asked curiously "You're not in a doctor's get-up and you certainly don't look sick. Unless you're..." He trailed off, gesturing out the door leading out into the Sefton Ward.

Crawford shook his head, "Oh no, I'm not a patient either. I'm doing some research for a project, and this section of the hospital is quiet. Besides, the ward is only used for more... extreme cases."

Ash nodded, not sure what would count as an "extreme case", but it wasn't really important now. He looked down at the table, where Crawford had an anatomy textbook, a notebook, and a old worn out book that Ash couldn't make out the title of.

"You're researching, huh? Researching what?"

"Well, I'm a physicist," Crawford explained "But our project has a large anatomical component that I'm not really an expert in."

Ash smiled as he watched Crawford open the anatomy book that he brought. He may not look exactly like him, but the way Crawford's eyes eyes lit up with excitement when he talked about his work definitely reminded Ash of Herbert, and it was definitely just as endearing. Crawford was still going on, and it wasn't until he said the word "Doctor" that Ash realized he hadn't stopped talking.

"Doctor? Which doctor?" Ash blinked back into the moment.

"I was just getting to that," Crawford didn't seemed to notice that Ash tuned out as he flipped to a page in his book "I scheduled a meeting with Dr. Cain to help me go over information about the pineal gland. It's not a private meeting, so I won't kick you out. Don't worry."

Crawford smiled at Ash as they were interrupted by a soft knock and a man stepping into the room. Both turned their heads to look, and Ash looked upon a man who looked to be closer to his height but leaner in frame. His open expression and a handsome face that made him seem very approachable and probably a pleasure to chat with, which Ash assumed probably comes in handy as a doctor. But there was something about him that he couldn't quite put his finger on. There seemed to be an underlying layer of melancholy, as if he's no stranger to tragedy. Again, since the man was a doctor, Ash would not be surprised if the man's familiar with death.

"Oh," the man looked surprised to see Ash "I'm not early, am I?"

Crawford quickly shook his head, glancing back at Ash, "No no, you're on time. He's just waiting for someone. He'll be fine."

Ash stood up while the doctor approached him with his hand extended. The two shook hands, and Ash noted the professionally firm grip that the doctor had.

"I'm Ash," Ash greeted with a nod "I hope I'm not intruding or anything"

"As long as Crawford's fine with it, I am as well. He organized this meeting after all," The man smiled "My name's Daniel Cain."

Ash couldn't help but feel like he's heard Dr. Cain's name before, but the doctor let go of Ash's hand and sat down in the free chair next to Crawford. Ash sat back down as he watched the two settle in for their discussion.

"Sorry if we bore you," Dr. Cain chuckled with an apologetic smile "Anatomy isn't always the most interesting topic in the world."

"Well it depends on what part of the anatomy you're talking about," Ash joked with a grin. Surprisingly, it was Crawford who laughed, who quickly stifled it and bit his lip to stay quiet. Dan grinned as well, his expression brightening up slightly.

"Touche."

Ash leaned back in his chair as the other faced each other to get to work. Crawford began babbling the same spiel he had given Ash, quickly running his mouth around words like "vibrations", “pineal”, and “multi-dimensional theory”. Ash noted that Dr. Cain seemed to take everything in stride, easily keeping up with Crawford’s excited explanation. He seemed a bit too good at this, like he was used to being in this situation. Ash recalled when the receptionist mentioned that Herbert knew Dr. Cain, but she never really said how close those two were. Ash would assume acquaintances, but there was a lingering doubt in the back of his mind. Ash closed his mind, trying to recall the time when Herbert mentioned Dr. Cain by name.

 

_Ash awoke in the middle of the night, the moonlight from outside just barely illuminating the room. The blankets were comfortable and the pillows were soft, but he needed further warmth. He rolled over to face the weight behind him, reaching out to hold him._

_To his surprise, Herbert shuddered and shifted away, his back facing Ash. Ash furrowed his brow slightly and tried again, but this time Herbert let out a soft noise from deep within his throat and laid on his back. Concerned by the noise, Ash began to push himself up to check on his companion. Herbert suddenly let out a gasp, sitting up in a flash with a quickened breath. His hands immediately went up to his throat, as if to check something, and let out a sigh of relief when he seemed to find nothing wrong._

_“Herbert…” Ash mumbled sleepily “Whasimatter…?”_

_“Nothing, Ash,” Herbert answered, sounding exhausted “It’s nothing…”_

_“Doesn’t sound like nothing,” Ash observed, rubbing his eyes as he sat up as well._

_Herbert didn’t respond, and Ash elected to putting his arm around the smaller man to hold him close. Herbert allowed himself to be pulled in, letting his head rest against Ash. They sat together in silence, soaking in the sounds of the night and the two of them breathing._

_“If you must know,” Herbert interrupted after a few moments “It was a memory.”_

_“Must’ve been a bad memory,” Ash bluntly assumed._

_“Like you’d know,” Herbert nodded ever so slightly, knowing full well what Ash has been through not so long ago._

_The two fell back into silence, Ash no longer focusing on the sounds of his surroundings, wondering whether or not to press further. He realized he was not too familiar with Herbert’s past, only knowing what Herbert’s told him, and most of it involved his work with the reagent._

_"Hey Herbert...?" Ash asked cautiously, deciding to turn to the seemingly easier questions "I know you don't really talk about it much..."_

_"Yes..." Herbert's answer dripped with suspicion._

_"Well, you used to live here with someone else," Ash gently nudged Herbert's head with his nose with sleepy affection "What was he like? I mean, I'm assuming it's a 'he'."_

_Herbert let out a sigh, pulling away from Ash and rubbing his eyes as he reached for his glasses, “He was a ‘Good Man’, for the lack of a better description. He was hardworking, bright, well-respected…"_

_“And?” Ash furrowed his brow “You say that like that’s a bad thing.”_

_“He was sentimental,” Herbert admitted coldly with a small shake of his head “Perhaps overly sentimental.”_

_The pieces clicked into place for Ash, and the picture became clearer. A man like how Herbert described wouldn’t last very long with having to deal with Herbert and his precious life’s work. Herbert simply sat still where he was, staring out in the darkness of the night-filled bedroom. Ash simply sat back and looked at him, figuring that Herbert wanted a little more space at the moment._

_“Does he have a name…?” Ash cautiously ventured “If you want. It’s not like I’ll be meeting him any time soon”_

_“You’re right,” Herbert quickly took off his glasses and laid back down “You won’t meet him.”_

_Ash was not surprised by Herbert’s deflection and laid down as well. The two men faced each other, and Herbert silently moved closer to resume their positions from earlier. Ash put his arms around the smaller man as he closed his eyes._

_“Daniel Cain.”_

_Ash opened an eye, “Sorry, what was that?”_

_“I changed my mind,” Herbert mumbled “His name is Daniel Cain.”_

_“Cain, eh?” Ash yawned, his eyes slowly closing “I’ll keep an eye out for him then…”_

 

“Daniel Cain!” Ash gasped with realization, snapping out of his daze. Crawford and Dr. Cain were both caught off guard by the outburst, judging by the wide-eyed expression they both adopted as they looked over at him.

“Yes?” Dr. Cain responded with a confused expression.

“I _do_ know your name!” Ash pointed a finger towards the doctor “You’re Daniel Cain!”

Dr. Cain and Ash locked eyes, the doctor having a guilty expression on his face. Ash realized that his outspoken revelation most likely gave away his and Dr. Cain's mutual friend. From how Herbert briefly put it, he and Cain were not on the best of terms. Crawford, however, was out of the loop and glanced back and forth between the two men.

“I should’ve known,” Dr. Cain smiled sadly “Those glasses sticking out of your pocket were awfully familiar.”

“Oh, er,” Ash pulled Herbert’s glasses out to address them “Yeah.”

“So how did he find you?”

“What’re you two talking about?” Crawford cut in, furrowing his brow “Those glasses belong to your friend, right Ash?”

“So you are waiting for Herbert,” Dr. Cain observed.

Ash crossed his arms, not liking how he phrased that, “You make me sound like a puppy on a leash. I’m just giving his glasses back.”

“I’m just warning you,” Dr. Cain took up a cautionary tone “He’s not what you think. He’ll happily ruin your life and manipulate you if it means getting what he wants.”

“Oh I know exactly what he’s like,” Ash challenged with a grin “It’s cute, really. I probably know more about what he’s like then you ever will.”

“Please!” Dr. Cain stood out of his seat, his expression wrought with worry “I only want you to not end up like me.”

Ash stood up as well, pocketing Herbert’s glasses again, “And what did happen to you?”

“STOP IT!”

A third voice stopped the two men in their tracks, and they turned to see Crawford standing up and glaring at the both of them, fiddling with his sweater.

“I don’t know who this ‘Herbert’ guy is, exactly, but you can talk about him without being confrontational. Now, sit down.”

Ash looked over at Dr. Cain, who looked back at him. With soft sighs of understanding, the two sat down back in their seats heavily.

“Sorry about that,” Dr. Cain nodded apologetically “I got myself worked up.”

“I egged you on,” Ash shrugged halfheartedly “It’s partially my fault too.”

Crawford sighed with relief and sat back down as well, flipping back a few pages, “Now, where were we?”

“It’s not going to work,”

Dr. Cain frowned at the newcomer’s voice and turned to address them but froze up. Ash craned his head up to see, and his mouth fell open at the sight of Herbert standing by the doorway with his arms crossed and a disapproving frown. Contrary to what Ash has suspected when coming here, Herbert was wearing a pair of glasses. The frames were smaller, still making him look bookish, but not like how his other glasses that Ash had in his possession.

“Herbert…” Dr. Cain spoke aloud, slowly rising from his seat again.

“That-,” Crawford looked at Herbert and back at Dr. Cain “That’s Herbert?”

“I am,” Herbert stated plainly, stepping further into the room.

“What are you doing here?” Dr. Cain asked, Ash hearing the scowl in his voice.

"I'm not here for you, if that's what you're suggesting," Herbert waved Dr. Cain off as he crossed the room to Ash "My glasses, please."

"You," Ash blinked with surprise "You knew I was coming?"

"I knew the moment I put on my spare glasses," Herbert held out his hand "I even tried to meet you at the lobby."

Ash's eyes widened with recognition, "That's why you weren't where the receptionist said you were!"

"You know him, Herbert," Dr. Cain cut back in "He took my place, hasn't he?"

Herbert looked up at Dr. Cain, and Ash highly doubted Herbert was going to divulge every detail of their relationship. He took a few steps closer to Ash, standing with his back almost flush with Ash's chest, and crossed his arms.

"He has," Herbert confirmed with a nod, his hand still open and Ash took the opportunity to place Herbert's glasses into his hand, an action that caused a smile spread on Herbert's face as he switched his glasses. Dr. Cain scrunched his face up with confusion. Crawford, on the other hand, reminded everyone of his presence by letting out a soft gasp.

"Ah! I understand," Crawford smiled politely "Congratulations, both of you."

Dr. Cain looked even more confused, and Herbert raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I-I..." Crawford blushed and fidgeted as he attempted to explain himself "My patron has a very _explicit_ lifestyle. I learned quite a bit about the wide variety of relationships one can have during my time working with him..."

Herbert scrunched his face in disgust, Dr. Cain let out an apologetic sigh, and Ash let out a bark of laughter, jostling Herbert by putting his arm over his shoulders. Crawford's blush of embarrassment brightened and he avoided his eyes from everyone in the room. Dr. Cain noticed Ash's gesture of affection and raised an eyebrow to Herbert. This caused Herbert to shrug off Ash's harm. Judging by the way Herbert turned away from them, Ash figured he was blushing.

"You got what you came here for, Ashley," Herbert curtly spoke, looking back at him. "It's best you leave and get back to what you were doing at the house."

Unsurprised by Herbert's discomfort, Ash nodded and began walking towards the door, "Could you help me find my way out?"

Herbert let out a sigh and followed him out of the room. The ward around them was on edge as they did so, but it wasn't directed at them. The door leading to the so-called "extreme cases" was open, and two muscle-bound attendants were wrangling with one of the patients, practically dragging him out. The patient looked like a scrawny drugged out hobo with a scraggly vomit encrusted beard, but he was putting up a good fight, the attendants nearly being thrown off by him. Herbert stuck close to Ash, narrowing his eyes in disgust at the man. However, the way he shifted, moving so he was slightly behind Ash... Was Herbert nervous? Ash wouldn't know why, the man was only struggling and making incoherent noises.

The nurse prepared a syringe full of clear liquid, calling out "Sedative's ready!" as the attendants pulled the patient over to her desk. Ash detected motion behind him, and he looked back to see Dr. Cain and Crawford watching events unfold with curiosity. Dr. Cain shoved his hands into his coat pockets while Crawford held the text book he brought with him. The patient's head lulled to the side, his dull unfocused eyes spotting the group. He seem to put focus on an aspect of the group, and his babble grew louder and his struggles more violent. Ash took a half-step back, raising a protective hand in front of the group as the man yanked his arm free and used it to throw the attendants to the ground. The nurse let out an alarmed shriek and called for help as the man advanced towards the group. Ash noted the way he staggered, the way his head rolled from side to side as his body swayed with every step. Ash had seen enough undead to know this patient was one of them. But why was he walking towards them? Ash could only think of one reason, and he turned to look at Herbert.

"Herby, what did you do?"

"Ash!" Herbert's eyes were wide with alarm "Behind you!"

Ash turned back around to catch the patient lunging at them with a loud growl. He raised up his hands to defend himself, but there was no need. He felt someone push past him, and Crawford stood in front of them all with his textbook in hand. He raised it up and swung it at full force. It hit its mark with a crack, hitting the patient's jaw and sending him stumbling to the floor, hitting his head hard on the tile floor underneath him. Ash watched with shock, looking over at Crawford.

"Nice shot, Crawford!"

The textbook fell out of Crawford's hands, and he staggered back "I-I wasn't trying to aim for his head... Oh God, I'm sorry!"

"He'll live" Herbert rolled his eyes, biting back a small smile in reaction to Dr. Cain letting out an irritated groan.

l-------[----------]---

Ash now stood in the lobby of the hospital, watching people walk to and fro as he waited for Herbert to return. After leaving the Sefton Ward, Herbert promised to speak to him after he completed a few more tasks. Ash wondered what they would talk about. With Herbert, Ash got used to expecting the unexpected.

"It's Ash, right?"

Ash looked up to see Dr. Cain looking down at him, his hands at his sides and no indication that that he was feeling very positive or overly negative.

"Yeah," Ash offered a nod, unsure of the doctor's intentions "What about it?"

"Just here about our mutual 'friend'," Dr. Cain sat down in the empty seat beside Ash.

"How's Crawford though?" Ash wanted to check before the conversation got serious.

"In shock," Dr. Cain sighed "I guess he got too good of a look of the patient to realize he was looking at a dead body."

Ash's eyes widened with surprise, "You knew he was too?"

That elicited a soft laugh from Dr. Cain, a laugh that sounded hollow, "He was one of the last remaining resurrected corpses from the Miskatonic Massacre. Besides, I've worked with Herbert long enough to know the living dead when I see one."

There was a silence between them as Ash quickly tried to come up with something to respond to that. Too late, because Dr. Cain continued on after a few moments."

"What about you? You seem to take everything Herbert does with stride, and he puts up with you. You're familiar with death too, aren't you?"

"Ah, well," Ash faltered, not wanting to disclose how familiar he really was with death "You can say death turned my life upside-down"

Dr. Cain gave an approving nod, and Ash swore he saw him glance down at his prosthetic hand, "I can relate."

Silence fell again, and this time Ash found the opportunity to quickly change the topic.

"What's going to happen to Crawford now? You said he was in shock"

"I managed to convince him not to tell anybody what he saw."

"And in exchange?"

"I offered to continue our meeting over coffee."

Ash cracked a smile at that, "Dr. Cain, you mad dog!"

He nudged Dr. Cain with his elbow as the doctor tried to laugh it off. It didn't stop Ash from noticing that the tips of his ears had turned pink.

"Please," Dr. Cain managed to say when he stopped laughing "Call me Daniel."

Dr. Cain passed a slip of paper to Ash before standing up and straightening his doctor's coat. Ash raised and eyebrow and looked it over. The name "Daniel Cain" was written on it along with a telephone number.

"In case you want to someone with a little more sanity," Dr. Cain explained.

"Thanks," Ash looked up at him with a smile "Daniel."

"Just... Be careful."

Daniel smiled and gave a quick "Goodbye" before he left to go back to work. Ash sat back in his chair and had just put away the slip of paper when another person approached him.

"Come on," Herbert offered a hand to Ash "It's time to go."

Ash took it as he stood up, Herbert's hand feeling as cold as ever, "Go where?"

"To your car. Couples walk each other to their cars, don't they?"

Ash laughed as Herbert led him out of the hospital, still holding his hand as stepped out from the air conditioned hospital to the warm and sunny parking lot. Herbert kept a tight grip on him as the two walked onward to the car Ash used to get there. He only let go once they were standing next to it.

"You talked to Dan, didn't you?" Herbert looked up at Ash with a pointed stare.

"Yeah, why?"

"What did he say?"

"Just to be careful," Ash furrowed his brow "Why do you ask?"

Herbert paused, looking away from Ash to avoid meeting his gaze, "He left because I, to quote him, 'made his life a literal hell'. I don't wish for you to feel discouraged."

"Ohhh," Ash couldn't help from smiling "You're worried that he would scare me away from you."

"You don't have to put it like that," Herbert pursed his lips as his cheeks grew pink. That only caused Ash to laugh and put his arm around Herbert's shoulders for the second time that day.

"Don't worry!" Ash reassured as he kept laughing "My life's been hell long before meeting you!"

The feeling of something soft press against his cheek caused Ash to quiet himself. The looked in that direction to see Herbert looking down at the ground, the blush still present on his cheeks. A grin spread over Ash's mouth.

"What was that for?"

"You were expecting a 'Thank You' kiss for returning my glasses, were you not?"

"Well yeah," Ash's grin grew wider "But that's now what I exactly pictured."

"And how did you picture it?"

Ash used his flesh and blood hand to tilt Herbert's head up, getting a good look at those hazel eyes, pouty lips, and those pale cheeks now tinged with pink. He chuckled, leaning in close.

"Give me some sugar, baby."

Herbert rolled his eyes and groaned, but nonetheless close the gap between them into a soft and surprisingly tender kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please feel free to comment or suggest any ideas or prompts you want to see me do ^_^
> 
> You can also find me on Tumblr at plaguedoctor31


End file.
